Virginia Law

Article 7. Damage to and Tampering with Property.

Except as otherwise provided for by law, if any person maliciously shoot, stab, wound or otherwise cause bodily injury to, or administer poison to or expose poison with intent that it be taken by, any horse, mule, pony, cattle, swine or other livestock of another, with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or kill the same, or if he do any of the foregoing acts to any animal of his own with intent to defraud any insurer thereof, he shall be guilty of a Class 5 felony. If any person do any of the foregoing acts to any fowl or to any companion animal with any of the aforesaid intents, he shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, except that any second or subsequent offense shall be a Class 6 felony if the current offense or any previous offense resulted in the death of an animal or the euthanasia of an animal based on the recommendation of a licensed veterinarian upon determination that such euthanasia was necessary due to the condition of the animal, and such condition was a direct result of a violation of this section.

Code 1950, § 18.1-159; 1960, c. 358; 1964, c. 400; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 1977, c. 598; 1978, c. 559; 1999, c. 620.

It shall be unlawful for any person to maliciously shoot, stab, wound or otherwise cause bodily injury to, or administer poison to or expose poison with intent that it be taken by a dog, horse or other animal owned, used or trained by a law-enforcement agency, regional jail or the Department of Corrections while such animal is performing his lawful duties or is being kept in a kennel, pen or stable while off duty. A violation of this section shall be punishable as a Class 5 felony. The court shall order that the defendant pay restitution for the cost of any animal killed or rendered unable to perform its duties. Such cost shall include training expenses.

1989, c. 558; 1998, c. 8.

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to deliver or release any animal not owned by that person to a public or private animal shelter or humane society, as these terms are defined in § 3.2-6500, or to any other similar facility for animals, or any agent thereof, and to falsely represent to such facility or agent that such person is the owner of the animal.

B. A violation of subsection A is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

C. No public or private animal shelter, humane society or other similar facility for animals, or the directors or employees of any such business or facility, shall, in the absence of gross negligence, be civilly liable for accepting and disposing of any animal in good faith from a person who falsely claims to be the owner of the animal.

1994, c. 885; 2014, c. 148.

It shall be unlawful for any person at any time or in any manner to hunt, pursue, take, capture, wound, maim, disfigure, or kill any homing pigeon of another person, or to make use of any pit or pitfall, scaffold, cage, snare, trap, net, baited hook or similar device or drug, poison chemical or explosive, for the purpose of injuring, capturing or killing any such homing pigeon, provided that any officer, employee or agent of a city or county acting pursuant to authority of an ordinance thereof may take, capture and kill pigeons in, on and about any building or structure devoted to business, commercial or industrial purposes when any pigeons are using such premises for roosting, resting or congregating thereon; all pigeons taken upon such premises shall be conclusively deemed not to be homing pigeons or the property of any person.

Any person violating any of the foregoing provisions shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.

Code 1950, § 18.1-160; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15.

A. Any person or entity that (i) maliciously damages or destroys any farm product, as defined in § 3.2-4709, and (ii) knows the product is grown for testing or research purposes in the context of product development in conjunction or coordination with a private research facility or a baccalaureate institution of higher education or any federal, state, or local government agency is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor if the value of the farm product was less than $1,000, or a Class 6 felony if the value of the farm product was $1,000 or more.

B. The court shall order the defendant to make restitution in accordance with § 19.2-305.1 for the damage or destruction caused. For the purpose of awarding restitution under this section, the court shall determine the market value of the farm product prior to its damage or destruction and, in so doing, shall include the cost of: (i) production, (ii) research, (iii) testing, (iv) replacement, and (v) product development directly related to the product damaged or destroyed.

2001, cc. 547, 572; 2018, cc. 764, 765; 2020, cc. 89, 401.

Any person who shall individually or in association with one or more others willfully break, injure, tamper with, or remove any part or parts of any vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel for the purpose of injuring, defacing, or destroying said vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel, or temporarily or permanently preventing its useful operation, or for any purpose against the will or without the consent of the owner of such vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel, or who shall in any other manner willfully or maliciously interfere with or prevent the running or operation of such vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, unless such violation of this section involves the breaking, injuring, tampering with, or removal of a catalytic converter or the parts thereof, then he is guilty of a Class 6 felony. A prosecution or proceeding for a felony under this section is a bar to a prosecution or proceeding under § 18.2-137 for the same act.

A judge or jury may make a permissive inference that a person who is in possession of a catalytic converter that has been removed from a motor vehicle to have obtained the catalytic converter in violation of this section unless the person is (i) an authorized agent or employee acting in the performance of his official duties for a motor vehicle dealer, motor vehicle garage or repair shop, or salvage yard that is licensed or registered by the Commonwealth; (ii) a scrap metal purchaser that has adhered to the compliance provisions of subdivisions B 1 or 2 of § 59.1-136.3; or (iii) a person who possesses vehicle registration documentation indicating that the catalytic converter in the person's possession is the result of a replacement of a catalytic converter from a vehicle registered in that person's name.

Code 1950, § 18.1-166; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 2022, cc. 664, 665; 2023, cc. 90, 91.

Any person who sells, offers for sale, or purchases a catalytic converter from a motor vehicle exhaust system that has been detached from a motor vehicle, except when such sale, offer for sale, or purchase is made to or by a scrap metal purchaser that has adhered to the compliance provisions of subdivisions B 1 or 2 of § 59.1-136.3, is guilty of a Class 6 felony.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the sale, offer for sale, or purchase of a new catalytic converter that has never been installed on a motor vehicle.

2023, cc. 90, 91.

A. As used in this section, "commercial fishing activity" means the business of extracting fish, bivalves, or crustaceans from waters for sale or resale.

B. Any person who knowingly and intentionally interferes with or impedes the operation or commercial fishing activity of a commercial fishing vessel within the territorial waters of the Commonwealth is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

C. A prosecution under this section is a bar to prosecution under § 29.1-554.1.

D. Any person convicted of a first offense under this section shall be ineligible for any license issued under Chapter 3 (§ 28.2-300 et seq.) of Title 28.2 or Chapter 3 (§ 29.1-300 et seq.) of Title 29.1 for a period of one year. Any person convicted of a second or subsequent offense under this section shall be ineligible for any such license for a period of three years.

E. In addition to any other penalties provided by law, any person convicted of a violation of this section shall be ordered to complete boating safety education as described in § 29.1-735.2.

2024, c. 403.

Any person who shall, without the consent of the owner or person in charge of a vehicle, aircraft, boat, vessel, locomotive or other rolling stock of a railroad, climb into or upon such vehicle, aircraft, boat, vessel, locomotive or other rolling stock of a railroad, with intent to commit any crime, malicious mischief, or injury thereto, or who, while a vehicle, aircraft, boat, vessel, locomotive or other rolling stock of a railroad is at rest and unattended, shall attempt to manipulate any of the levers and starting crank or other device, brakes or mechanism thereof or to set into motion such vehicle, aircraft, boat, vessel, locomotive or other rolling stock of a railroad, with the intent to commit any crime, malicious mischief, or injury thereto, shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, except that the foregoing provision shall not apply when any such act is done in an emergency or in furtherance of public safety or by or under the direction of an officer in the regulation of traffic or performance of any other official duty.

Code 1950, § 18.1-167; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15.

Any person who breaks the seal or lock of any railroad car, vessel, aircraft, motortruck, wagon or other vehicle or of any pipeline system, containing shipments of freight or express or other property, or breaks and enters any such vehicle or pipeline system with the intent to commit larceny or any felony therein shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony; provided, however, that if such person is armed with a firearm at the time of such breaking and entering, he shall be guilty of a Class 3 felony.

1979, c. 336.

It shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture, distribute, have in his possession or place upon any highway or private property jackrocks which are primarily designed for the purpose of disabling motor vehicles by the puncturing of tires by anyone other than a law-enforcement officer. Any person convicted of unlawful manufacture, distribution, possession or use of such device shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. A law-enforcement officer who is lawfully engaged in the discharge of his duties shall not be subject to the provisions of this section.

1982, c. 253; 2007, c. 437.

The provisions of §§ 18.2-102, 18.2-146 and 18.2-147 shall not apply to a bona fide repossession of a vehicle, aircraft, boat or vessel by the holder of a lien on such vehicle, aircraft, boat or vessel, or by the agents or employees of such lienholder.

Code 1950, § 18.1-168; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15.

If any person after having rented or leased from any other person an animal, aircraft, vehicle, boat or vessel shall willfully injure or damage the same, by hard or reckless driving or using, or by using the same in violation of any statute of this Commonwealth, or allow or permit any other person so to do, or hire the same to any other person without the consent of the bailor, such person shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.

Code 1950, § 18.1-161; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15.

If any person willfully scuttle, cast away or otherwise dispose of, or in any manner destroy, except as otherwise provided, a ship, vessel or other watercraft, with intent to injure or defraud any owner thereof or of any property on board the same, or any insurer of such ship, vessel or other watercraft, or any part thereof, or of any such property on board the same, if the same be of the value of $1,000 or more, he shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony, but if it be of less value than $1,000, he shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Code 1950, § 18.1-170; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 1981, c. 197; 2018, cc. 764, 765; 2020, cc. 89, 401.

If any person, with intent to commit larceny therefrom, break and open, or open, or carry away, any pump, tank, or other similar equipment or container used for dispensing or storing kerosene, gasoline or motor oils, he shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony.

Code 1950, § 18.1-169; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15.

Any person who injures, destroys, removes, tampers with, or otherwise interferes with the operation of (i) any equipment or apparatus used for fighting fires or for protecting property or human life by a fire company or fire department, as those terms are defined in § 27-6.01, or (ii) any emergency medical services vehicle, as defined in § 32.1-111.1, intending to temporarily or permanently prevent the useful operation of such equipment or apparatus is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

2016, c. 687.

Any person who enters, forces or attempts to force an entrance into, tampers with, or inserts any part of an instrument into any parking meter, vending machine, pay telephone, money changing machine, or any other device designed to receive money, with intent to steal therefrom, shall for the first conviction thereof be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, and for any subsequent conviction of a violation thereof shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony.

Code 1950, § 18.1-125.1; 1968, c. 518; 1975, cc. 14, 15.